After the End: A New Beginning
by Lady Moon-Chan
Summary: After Barasuishou's body was destroyed, she was left alone in the NField. Then a mysterious doll named Kirakishou appeared. She seems like an ally, but there's more to her than meets the eye, especially where her interest in Barasuishou is concerned...
1. Der Anfang

After the End: A New Beginning

Lady Moon-Chan

**After Barasuishou's body crumbled away, her spirit was left alone in the N-Field. Until a mysterious doll identical to Barasuishou appeared. Her name is Kirakishou, the seventh Rozen Maiden, and Barasuishou has something she wants...Rated: PG, Warnings: spoilers for the end of Traumend, creep-factor, character death, possible OOC. **

**Disclaimer: If I owned Rozen Maiden, believe me, the third season would be here already.**

**Claimer: The plot of this story is mine. Steal it and Laplace and KunKun will "Get it on" on your pillow.**

**R&R!**

**fic start**

Barasuishou awoke alone on the grass in the N-Field where the "Alice Game" had just been fought. She sat up and looked around. "Father?" she called. "FATHER!" The only response she got was her own voice echoing back at her. She flung herself face down in the grass, grieving. "Father...Father...Father..." she whispered.

She jerked her head up and to the left as the delicate rustling sound of satin on grass emanated from that direction. Sitting beside Barasuishou was another doll, identical to Barasuishou herself but for differences in her dress color, hair pieces, and the seal over her eye.

Her dress was a delicate peach-white color, her hair pieces were shaped like small white roses with vines trailing from them, and the seal over her right eye(the opposite of Barasuishou) was shaped in much the same way.

The other doll smiled. "Hello. What's your name?"

"What's...your name?" Barasuishou mimicked to mask her confusion at the appearance of a new doll.

The other doll smiled again. "I am Kirakishou, the seventh Rozen Maiden. Who are you?"

"I am Barasuishou, first doll of Enju." Barasuishou said, materializing her sword and preparing to strike Kirakishou.

"My Rosa Mystica won't do you any good." Kirakishou said matter-of-factly, dodging Barasuishou's first blow. "Even if you were to win and claim it, what good would it do you to have it when you're stuck here in the N-Field?"

Barasuishou stopped her attack. "Even if...what good would it do...when I'm stuck here..."

Kirakishou nodded. "That's right. Now put your sword away and come over here. I'll take care of you." she held out her arms.

Barasuishou hesitantly let her sword vanish and went towards Kirakishou, who hugged her and stroked her hair. "That's a girl. You'll be okay." Kirakishou whispered.

"I'll be okay?" Barasuishou whispered.

Kirakishou nodded. "That's right. You'll get used to it here. Now come on, let's play!" and she dragged Barasuishou off toward the sprawling manor house not far from where they stood.

Barasuishou sighed as she stared up at the endless sky of her N-Field.

"What's wrong, Bara-chan?" Kirakishou asked, sitting down beside her.

"I miss Father." Barasuishou said simply.

Kirakishou brushed the other doll's bangs aside and kissed her forehead. "I can take you to see him."

Barasuishou sat up with a jolt. "When?" she asked, her voice and face not betraying the excitement her body language belied.

"Tomorrow." Kirakishou said, kissing Barasuishou's forehead again. "I'll take you to see your Father tomorrow."

True to her word, the next day Kirakishou woke Barasuishou up with a small shake. "Come on." she said, her delicate porcelain hand never leaving Barasuishou's shoulder. "It's time to go and see your Father."

"Father." Barasuishou said with a smile, following Kirakishou out of the N-Field they normally resided in and into one shaped like a dark and broken child's bedroom. Kirakishou walked over to a cracked mirror and made to put her hand on it, then turned to look at Barasuishou.

"Bara-chan?"

"Yes?"

"Did the other six Maidens call your Father theirs?"

Barasuishou nodded.

"And how did that make you feel?"

"It...hurt. It really, really hurt. And...at the same time...I was so angry...I could have killed them all right there..."

Kirakishou rested her hands on the others shoulders. "That's called being jealous, Bara-chan. And you had every right to be. They were trying to claim your Father as their own. Tell me, do you hate them for it?"

"I...I want to see Father."

"And you will. Just answer my question first. Do you hate the first six Rozen Maidens for trying to take your Father away!?" Kirakishou asked, her voice rising.

"I need to talk to Father." Barasuishou murmured, her 'good' eye widened in shock and slight fear, though view of this was blocked by her eye patch.

"They tried to steal him from you Barasuishou, and you know it! They tried to make him theirs in our Father's place because he doesn't want any of them! But I know your Father belongs to you, Bara-chan, and I can help you keep him. Forever." Kirakishou said, hugging Barasuishou.

"Forever..." Barasuishou murmured. "I can stay with Father forever..."

"Only with my help, though. Will you let me help you?" Kirakishou went and touched the mirror, and Enju's face began to appear.

"Yes." Barasuishou whispered. "Help me stay with Father."

Enju sighed as he fitted the pieces together for a normal doll, putting a pair of silvery gray eyes into the pale porcelain face.

"Father...Father...Father..." Barasuishou's voice echoed through the new shop.

Enju turned toward the full-length mirror behind his bench, and within it stood Barasuishou, smiling at him.

"Barasuishou!" Enju ran to the mirror and kneeled, opening his arms. Barasuishou's smile faded to a look of pain.

"Father...I can't come through the mirror. My body is gone now, so physically, I'm nothing but a Mystica." she closed her eyes and rested her forehead against the inside of the mirror.

"So I'll build you a new body, just like your old one." Enju murmured, caressing the glass over Barasuishou's cheek.

"But Father...I still want to fulfill your dream of creating a doll better than the Rozen Maidens, and part of being better than them is being more clever. Going to them with a body the same as my old one would be very foolish of us."

"So then, what would have me do?"

"Build me a new body exactly the same as that of the real seventh Rozen Maiden, Kirakishou. If I look exactly like her, they won't suspect it's really me."

"But no matter how you _look_, won't the same thing happen to your body again once you absorb all of their Rosa Mysticas?" Enju asked.

Barasuishou shook her head. "That only happened because I had no Rosa Mystica myself, and now I've corrected that problem." she plunged her hand into her chest and withdrew a Rosa Mystica. "This is the Rosa Mystica I took from the real seventh Maiden. If you combine it with mine and place it in my body, I'll be able to absorb the other six with no problems. Do you understand, Father?"

"Yes." Enju said, kissing Barasuishou's "forehead". "I'm proud of you, Barasuishou. You're my doll."

"Yes, Father." Barasuishou murmured, closing her eyes.

Kirakishou stroked the sleeping Barasuishou's cheek. "I see now why you love your Father so, Bara-chan. He's a generous man who cares very deeply for you. Also, luckily for me, you have him wrapped around your finger." she giggled, a sound that would give a child nightmares.

Enju smiled as he put the finishing touches on the clone body of Kirakishou. It's finished, Barasuishou. What do you think?" he turned, holding the doll out to the mirror where Barasuishou stood waiting.

"It's beautiful, Father. Bring it over here." She gestured towards herself, smiling.

Enju brought the empty doll body forward as Barasuishou had instructed. It glowed softly when it got close to the mirror, as did Barasuishou within.

A mystica dove out of the mirror and into the doll body. The doll began to twitch and jerk, and then stood of her own accord, but kept her head down.

"Well, what do you think, Barasuishou?" Enju asked, picking her up. "How d you feel?"

"Thank you for giving me such a beautiful new body." she whispered, lifting her head and allowing Enju one final look into that solitary golden eye, crazed and hungry and cold, and one final thought, a realization of the mistake he had made. "Foolish, foolish apprentice of Father."

Kirakishou giggled, a high, evil, tinkling sound like the bells of hell. She was finally free. "Oh sisters," she crooned to other Rozen Maidens as though they were in the room with her. "How naïve of you, to think that Barasuishou's downfall was the end and that I would never appear for real." she smirked. "Let the Alice Game begin."

**AN: Well, there's that. I have no excuse. Be gentle with the rotten fruit, okay?**


	2. Träume

**After the End: A New Beginning**

**Lady Moon-Chan**

**Well, since everyone who reviewed wants this to become chaptered fic, here you go, chapter two, subtitled,"In Which Kirakishou-chan Creeps the Crap out of Everyone and Molests Suigintou". Note, the title of the chapter means "Dreams" for anyone curious. R&R, please!**

**Chapter 2: Träume**

**  
**

_Shinku put her teacup down on the table in her N-Field with a sigh. "Yet another rude child who has entered my dream without permission. Is that you, Suigintou, come to challenge me again?"_

_An impish giggle answered her. "Not quite, Miss Reiner Rubin. You don't know me."_

_Shinku stood and whipped out her cane. "Then who are you, and how did you get here?"_

_Another giggle. She caught a flash of white and gold from the shadows. "Patience, my dear __ältere Schwester. You'll find out soon enough. Das Alice Spiel hat angefangen."_

_And Shinku could tell that she was now alone in her dream once more._

Shinku opened the lid of her box and looked over at the one belonging to Suiseiseki. She peeked in to see her 'elder sister' fast asleep. She sighed, climbing up to the window sill and looking out. 'Das Alice Spiel hat angefangen.' she thought. 'So it was a Rozen Maiden who was in my dream after all...but which one? It wasn't Suigintou...not only did she say she wasn't, it didn't sound like her...Kanaria...no. She could never manage to sound like that...Suiseiseki...again, no. Why would I see white and gold if it were her...well, Sui Dream is white and gold, and the voice was as high-pitched as hers, but...I doubt she has it in her to sound so childish, yet so evil. Souseiseki is...gone. Hina Ichigo is also gone. So that would leave...' she gasped. 'The real seventh Rozen Maiden!'

Jun it his alarm clock at seven and looked up to see Shinku still sitting in the window sill. "Shinku? You're up awfully early."

"Jun." she jumped down from the window sill and went to her box. She lifted her teacup out and handed it to him. "Make me some tea. A very strong tea. No, make it coffee. Please."

Jun was too stunned at hearing the normally snobbish and bossy doll say please to ask about the change from tea to coffee. He headed downstairs to the kitchen, where he saw his sister.

"Oh, good morning, Jun-kun." she noticed the tiny teacup in his hand. "Are Shinku-chan and Suiseiseki-chan awake already?"

"Shinku is. I think something's wrong with her. She told me to make her tea, like usual, then she said to make it really strong tea, then she said to make it coffee."

"Coffee? But why?"

Jun shrugged.

Upstairs, Shinku opened Suiseiseki's box. "Suiseiseki. Wake up!" she shook the other doll roughly.

"Ugh...Shinku, what's wrong with you? It's way too early..desu" Suiseiseki mumbled.

"Suiseiseki, this is important. The real seventh Rozen Maiden has awakened."

Suiseiseki shot bolt upright. "What?"

"Yes. She came into my N-Field last night and said that 'the Alice Game has begun'."

Suiseiseki's heterochromatic eyes widened. "But what about the 'other way' to become Alice, desu?"

"Either she doesn't know it exists, or she wishes to take the rest of our Rosa Mysticas in the Alice Game."

"We have to contact her, desu! We have to let her know the Alice Game isn't the only way!"

Shinku nodded. "If she doesn't know there's another way, perhaps we can convince her to help us find it instead of fighting. However, if she's like Suigintou, and wants to fight to prove herself to Father, even knowing there's another way to become Alice, we'll have no choice."

Suiseiseki nodded grimly.

Meanwhile...

Suigintou materialized her sword and looked around her N-Field. "Who's there? Show yourself!"

"Nee-sama, I'm hurt. I've been waiting and waiting for so long to finally meet you face to face, and this is how you greet me?"

Climbing roses sprouted from the ground and wrapped themselves tightly around Suigintou. Not tight enough to truly hurt, but tight enough that she couldn't maneuver her sword arm or wings to free herself.

A doll in a peach white dress with long white hair, white rose hairpieces, and a white rose over her right eye appeared before her. "I'm your imouto, Kirakishou. Though I don't suppose you'd remember me. You awakened _so_ long before I did, after all. And then there was that little complication of Father's stupid apprentice stealing my body to use for his copy-cat 'Rozen Maiden', Barasuishou, so that delayed our meeting even further."

"How sad." Suigintou said dryly. "So what do you want?"

"I already said it. The first thing I always wanted to do after I finally got a body was to meet the first Rozen Maiden, Suigintou-neesama." Kirakishou smiled a little. "I'd heard about you, even locked away in the N-Field. How your will to live is so strong you could move before you even had your Rosa Mystica. How determined you are to make Father proud of you. And especially how you're powerful enough that you don't even need a medium." she blushed a little. "It'd be fair to say I admire you, nee-sama."

"How sweet, but-" Suigintou was cut off by Kirakishou kissing her cheek. "I'll see you again soon, nee-sama. But right now I need to go and meet my other sisters, so...bye!" She vanished, and so did the climbing roses she'd bound Suigintou in.

Suigintou let her sword vanish and narrowed her eyes at the spot Kirakishou had been standing in.

deedeedee

Kanaria nearly choked on her tomagoyaki as the mirror in Mi-chan's living room began to glow.

When she saw the doll that emerged, she gasped. "Bara-Bara? No way...you...you broke in the N-Field..."

The doll smirked and giggled madly. "Tut, tut, ältere Schwester Kanaria. I thought you were supposed to be the cleverest of all the Rozen Maidens. I'm no fake like Barasuishou was. I'm the genuine article!" she giggled madly and bound Kanaria in rose vines. "Well, Auf Wiedersehen. We'll meet again very, very soon." she went through the mirror again, leaving Kanaria bound until her medium arrived home from work.

**That's the end of the chapter. Now before you ask "Why didn't she appear to Suiseiseki?", it's because she was counting on Shinku telling Sui, which she did. If Shinku hadn't, Kirakishou would have revealed herself. Now, notes about the German and Japanese in here: nee-sama is Japanese for older sister, imouto is Japanese for little sister. ältere Schwester is German for older sister, Auf Wiedersehen is German for goodbye, and Das Alice Spiel hat angefangen is German for, as stated in the chapter, 'the Alice Game has begun'. Review, please. Constructive criticism is welcome, but flames will be given to chibi Suigintou to play with. Ja!**


	3. Giftige Rose

**After the End: A New Beginning**

**Lady Moon-Chan**

**Here's chapter three. Oh, and I forgot to mention last chapter that "Reiner Rubin" is the what Shinku's name translates to in German. Just a little trivia there. Well, here goes. Read, review, and remember that I don't own Rozen Maiden. I just play with the characters.**

**Chapter 3: Giftige Rose**

Suigintou lighted on the metal foot board of Megu's bed. "I heard you had a worse attack than usual today."

"Who told you something like that?" Megu asked, sitting up and leaning forward to brush her fingers against the tip of one of Suigintou's wings.

"I heard one of the doctors telling your parents about it on the phone. He commented how strange it was for you to have such a bad attack when they've been getting less and less severe for the last few months. But this wasn't just your sickness, was it? Something startled you into taking more severe attack than normal. Something in that area, perhaps?" Suigintou motioned towards the mirror opposite the bed.

Megu nodded. "That's right. I think it might have been another Rozen Maiden. She came out of the mirror and said that you were too strong to need a sickly human like me as a medium, and that she might as well put me out of my misery. She held out her hand and a vine covered in white roses wrapped around my upper body so tightly that I could barely breathe. I panicked, and that's when the attack started. She and the vine both disappeared just before the doctors rushed in."

Suigintou growled. "Kirakishou...that little brat! How _dare_ she..."

Megu's eyebrows raised. "Why so angry? She's probably right."

Suigintou shook her head. "No. The second round of the Alice Game will be even fiercer than the first. There might come a day when I _do_ need to fall back on the energy of my medium, and I won't be able to do that if you're dead and buried, now will I?" She looked at Megu out of the corner of her eye.

Megu smiled slightly, and Suigintou went over to the window sill. "Try and get some rest. I have to go and see about something."

lalalalalala

"Suiseiseki, stop being a pig." Shinku scolded, taking a small, ladylike nibble out of her own sandwich.

"I'm not, desu! I'm just trying to build up my strength in case this is our last peaceful meal for awhile, des-" she cut herself off as a few black feathers drifted onto the table. She threw her fork down and stood, looking up. Lounging on top of the lamp was Suigintou.

"What do you want now, desu?" she hissed, summoning up Sui Dream.

Suigintou chuckled. "Believe it or not, I'm not in the mood to take your Rosa Mysticas right now. I just came to give you a warning: watch out for your little medium." she flew towards the kitchen window and prepared to leave.

"What's going to happen? What are you planning to do to Jun?" Shinku asked.

Suigintou all out laughed this time. "You're rather cute when you're being dense, Shinku. _I'm_ not the one who'll be doing anything to your undersized medium. It'll be the seventh Rozen Maiden, Kirakishou."

"Why should we believe you, desu!?" Suiseiseki yelled.

"She attacked _my_ medium earlier today." Suigintou said. "If our contract hadn't kicked in and allowed her to pull some of my strength into herself, she probably would have died." her tone was deathly serious, all traces of the mocking one she'd formerly been using gone.

"You're not lying, then." Shinku said. "Thank you for the warning. We'll watch out for Jun."

Suiseiseki rounded on Shinku. "How can you believe her, desu!? How do you know she's not making the whole thing up!? Well, are you going to tell me, desu!?"

Before Shinku could answer, Suigintou was nose to nose with Suiseiseki, glaring at her.

"We're talking about my medium here, damnit! Why would I lie to you about her being attacked? If I really wanted to trick you, don't you think I could come up with a more believable story than that Kirakishou attacked my medium when I wasn't looking!? I didn't have to come here, you know! I could have let you go to sleep tonight and possibly wake up tomorrow to find that your medium had been attacked and killed in the night! Did you consider that!? Well, did you!?" and before Suiseiseki could answer, Suigintou flew out the window and disappeared.

"That's true." Shinku said softly. "The very fact that she warned us Jun might be attacked, given how much she hates us, and me especially, lends her credibility. Suiseiseki, if she had really wanted to simply pit us against Kirakishou, she could have said any number of other things that would have easily clouded our judgment with anger. For instance, to bait me, she could have said something like 'Kirakishou is more precious to Father than you, Shinku'."

Suiseiseki lowered her eyes. "I wish I could believe that, Shinku. But I don't trust her. She's the one who took Souseiseki away from me."

"I know she did, and I understand that you don't trust her because of that. But right now, we need to focus on defeating Kirakishou. If you focus your energies on hating Suigintou, you won't be able to defeat her." Shinku said.

"Yes, especially considering how hatred and discord in the garden will make the poisonous rose bloom the quickest." Laplace's deep voice said from behind them.

**AN: Cliffhanger! Stay tuned next chapter to see if Kirakishou attacks Jun, and what side Laplace is going to play for in all this. Goodbye, and don't forget to review on your way out!**


	4. Einheit

**After the End: A New Beginning**

**Lady Moon-Chan**

**Well, here's chapter four, enjoy it. Please R&R, and before you sue, keep in mind that if I owned Rozen Maiden, this would be the third season. Also keep in mind that I said if.**

**Warnings for this chapter: Uh, OOC Laplace. Definitely.**

**Chapter 4: Einheit**

"What are you talking about?" Shinku asked.

Laplace took off his top hat and bowed. "The poisonous rose gains its beauty by spreading lies and discord. It is fed by hatred, and seeks to outshine every other rose in the garden because it believes itself to be more special than the rest."

"Are you talking about Kirakishou, desu?" Suiseiseki asked, eyes widening.

Laplace didn't acknowledge the question. "The only way for the other roses to beat down the poisonous rose is through einheit, not only amongst themselves, but also by allying themselves with the wax rose."

"But who's the wax rose, desu!?" Suiseiseki summoned up a large vine that threatened to wrap around and strangle Laplace. "Answer me this time, damnit!"

"Suiseiseki!" Shinku shouted, destroying the vine with a flurry of rose petals. She turned toward Laplace. "Laplace, you say einheit is the key to defeating the poisonous rose? But what happens if one of the other roses, say, the broken rose, refuses to work in einheit with the rest?"

"Something the broken one holds dear has already been threatened by the poisonous rose. She will not refuse if it means protecting that something." he moved to disappear into the storage room mirror from whence he'd come. "Farewell. Lady Rozenkristall awaits my return." he vanished into the mirror.

Shinku smiled, then began to laugh. She must have sounded somewhat nutty, because Suiseiseki backed up a couple of steps.

"Shinku?" Suiseiseki asked, a hint of fear in her high voice.

"I'm sorry, Suiseiseki. That was just...relief. I never thought Laplace would prove to be so much of a help." She laughed again, softer and better modulated this time.

"Umm, how exactly did he help, again?" Suiseiseki asked. "I get that the whole 'roses' thing was a metaphor for us Maidens, and that the 'broken rose' is Suigintou, and the poisonous rose threatening something dear to her is a reference to Kirakishou's attack on her medium, but..." she gasped. "Kirakishou is the 'poisonous rose', isn't she?"

Shinku nodded. "That's right. And 'einheit' means 'unity' in German, so..."

"I get it now, desu!" Suiseiseki said. "He's saying we have to work together with Kanaria and Suigintou to defeat Kirakishou. And that because Kirakishou's already proven her willingness to harm her medium, Suigintou will be forced to accept our help!" she giggled maniacally.

"That's very good, Suiseiseki. You've just about got it all. But there's one more thing: Laplace said that not only did the roses themselves have to unite to defeat Kirakishou, we also have to accept the help of the wax rose- the fake Rozen Maiden."

"But, isn't Barasuishou dead, desu? The chibi human even said that he watched her crumble away to dust."

"Jun watched her _body_ crumble away." Shinku corrected. "Her spirit still remains in the N-Field."

"How can you be so sure, desu? I mean, when did Laplace say anything like that?" Suiseiseki asked in confusion.

"Just before he disappeared. He said he was going back to his mistress, Rozenkristall. 'Rozenkristall' is the German word for 'Rose Crystal', which in Japanese would be..."

"...Barasuishou..." Suiseiseki breathed out at the same time Shinku said it. "Well, I guess the next step would be to tell this stuff to Kanaria and Suigintou, desu. Right?" the elder gardener twin suddenly sounded weary.

"Correct." Shinku said. Just at that moment, Jun walked in the door.

"I'm home."

"How was your study session, Jun?" Shinku asked in an abnormally cheerful voice. "Pretty good. I got through a lot-hey, wait a minute. Why do you care all of a sudden? Did something happen while I was gone?"

"We just got handed a big clue on how to defeat Kirakishou. Jun, can you take us to the hospital?" Shinku said.

"The...hospital? But why?" Jun asked.

"We need to talk to Suigintou and her medium, and that's where her medium is. So, can you?"

"What kind of clue would would give you the need to talk to the doll who's been antagonizing you since you came here?" Jun asked.

"Einheit." Shinku smiled.

**AN: Well, there's chapter four. Next chapter is the meeting between the last four sane Rozen Maidens, and their journey into the N-Field to see Barasuishou, guided by Laplace. In Chapter 5: Feind des Feindes! Review please, bye-bye!**


	5. Feind des Feindes

After the End: A New Beginning

Lady Moon-Chan

**AN: Here it is, chapter five! And with it, the return of the eyepatch goddess, Barasuishou!**

**(crickets chirp in the background)**

**Why do I bother? R&R!**

**Chapter 5: Feind des Feindes**

"Uh, hi. I'm looking for a girl named Megu. She's a couple years older than me, she's been hospitalized from a very young age for congenital heart disease..." Jun trailed off, scratching the back of his head and grinning slightly in an almost sheepish way.

"Are you a friend of hers?" the nurse asked.

'Well, the enemy of my enemy is my friend, so...' "Yeah, more or less." Jun said with a shrug, toning down the grin until it was just an upward quirk of his lips.

The nurse stood up. "Here, I'll show you the way." they went up two floors in an elevator, made a few turns, and arrived at a room with 236 stamped on the door in black letters. The nurse knocked. "Megu? There's someone here to see you. Are you feeling up to company?"

"Let them in." A soft, tired-sounding girl's voice called.

The nurse opened the door and ushered Jun in. "It's another half an hour until your next dose of medicine Megu, so he can stay till then."

Megu nodded, and it wasn't until the nurse had left that she turned to face Jun, and when she did he could see how she and Suigintou could be compatible as doll and medium. Her brown eyes were sharp, taking in every detail of his appearance. Her eyebrows rose slightly at the two doll cases he carried, and her lips pursed into a thin line when her eyes came to rest on the rose ring he wore. "So you're a medium too, then. Suigintou had said you might be coming."

"She...did?" Jun asked.

"Yes. A rabbit man came through the mirror and said something cryptic about roses. It sounded like the plot of some old faerie story to me, but she seemed to get out of it that it meant you and your dolls plus the second doll and her medium would be coming to talk about defeating Kirakishou." she turned to face the window.

"You can come in now, the nurse left and they're here."

Suigintou flew in the window and lighted on Megu's bed, positioning herself between the two mediums. She looked at Jun and raised an eyebrow. "Well, aren't you going to let them out? I can't very well talk to them if they're locked in their cases."

Jun blushed and growled, setting the cases on the ground and opening them. Suiseiseki stood and brushed herself off, looking around. "Hey, what's the big idea, desu!? Kanada and her medium are supposed to be here too, right, desu!?"

Shinku rose next, whacking Suiseiseki on the head with her cane. "Firstly, her name is 'Kanaria', and secondly, her medium is a working woman, so..."

Jun snickered. "Heh, that's actually pretty funny when it's not me shes doing it to."

Shinku glanced at her medium out of the corner of her eye and then tossed her head, effectively slapping him with her hair.

"Ow! What was that for!?" Jun demanded.

"You carried my case much to roughly. I kept getting jostled around and hitting my head."

A sudden squeal cut off any further conversation as Mitsu Kusabue, medium of Kanaria, charged into the room with Kanaria's case under one arm and grabbed up Suigintou, glomping her. "OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH! She's absolutely amazing, this first Rozen Maiden!" she held Suigintou away from herself to inspect her. "Ooh, kawaii! She looks like a little angel of death! And those wings..." she maneuvered so that one hand could grip the feathery black wings and let out another squeal. "They feel so silky and soft! Are they real feathers!?"

A vein twitched over Suigintou's eye, and she hissed slightly. "Yes, they're real feathers. And you are PULLING ON THEM!" she jerked free and lighted on the bed again, this time slightly behind her medium.

Kanaria opened her case and looked around. "So is everybody here, kashira?"

"Yes." Shinku and Suigintou said at the same time(Suigintou glared because of it).

"Okay, desu." Suiseiseki summoned a plant and pulled the mirror on Megu's wall down, then jumped through. Shinku pushed Jun in, then followed. After them, Mi-chan picked up Kanaria and jumped through with her, and Suigintou turned to look at Megu from her position in front of the mirror on the floor.

"You come too. I won't be foolish enough to allow that bratty seventh doll another chance to attack what's mine."

Megu smiled slightly and nodded, walking over the mirror and jumping in. Suigintou followed, catching Megu by the arms and slowing her fall so that she landed gently on her feet.

Laplace appeared seemingly out of thin air. "Welcome, roses, united at last. The wax rose waits not far ahead. Come, I shall lead the way."

He led them through two pure black N-Fields, then, to the one where they had so recently fought Barasuishou, the Rose Garden.

"Lady Rozenkristall awaits you in Barayashiki." he gestured to the magnificent manor house, then disappeared.

"Awfully nice of him to lead us right to her, no strings attached, desu." Suiseiseki grumbled sarcastically as the four dolls and three mediums made their way through the house, searching for Barasuishou.

"Shh." Megu hissed. "I hear music. I think it's coming from..." she closed her eyes and concentrated, straining to figure out the direction of the sound.

"There." Suigintou pointed to a pair of tall, probably heavy wooden doors with light shining out from underneath, and the faint sound of classical music escaping along with the light directly at the end of the large hallway they had just turned into.

When their odd little group reached the door, Kanaria opened it a crack and peeked in. "It looks like she's just sitting there reading, kashira, but..."

"But?" Her medium prompted.

"But her eyes aren't moving. She's just kind of staring at the same spot in the book, and she's not flipping any pages either."

Megu let out a soft "duh", and when the doll and medium pair looked offended she said, just as softly as they'd been talking only moments before, "Well, she's wanting to hold a meeting with us, right? And considering how things went the last time she and the Rozen Maidens met up, it's not too big a stretch to say that's she's probably worried about how things will turn out." then she pushed open the door and called hesitantly, "Barasuishou?"

The lavender-clad doll put the book away and walked to the door, opening it fully and ushering them in. The room turned out to be an immense study, where couches and chairs had already been arranged comfortably around a coffee table. Once everyone was seated at the makeshift conference table, Barasuishou began to speak.

"As Laplace said, I called you all here to offer my help in defeating Kirakishou-" she was cut off by Kanaria.

"But why should you help, kashira? What would you get out of it? And how do we know you wouldn't just double cross us after she was out of the way kashira?"

Barasuishou glared. "Why should I help? Hmmm, good question. Let's see now...she lured me in by pretending to be my friend, used me and my Father's love for me as her personal ticket out of the N-Field, killed my Father...is that reason enough!?" she got in Kanaria's face and half-shouted the last bit.

"Hey, don't be mean to Kana!" Mi-chan shouted, raising a hand against Barasuishou. Said doll caught the hand and said wearily. "I'm sorry. It's just...I'm the one she's taken the most from, so far anyway, and..."

"What do you mean 'so far'?" Shinku asked.

"Well, that might change. If she killed one of your mediums, that would be tantamount to my losing Father, maybe worse, since Suigintou is the only one here who can use her powers independent of a medium for any length of time."

"That makes sense enough...but what about the last part of Kanaria's question: how do we know you won't just stab us in the back after Kirakishou is defeated, desu?" Suiseiseki asked.

Barasuishou laughed bitterly. "I'm not stupid. I know full well that four Rosa Mysticas(five, counting Little Miss Psycho-Doll's) aren't going to do me any good since I'm stuck in the N-Field. Besides that, I can't do much of anything to her now that she's got a body and I don't, and, well, the enemy's enemy is my friend, so..." taking note of the incredulous looks on everyone else's faces, she laughed softly. "Though in this case, I think the better term would probably be grudging allies."

**AN: There's chapter 5. In the next chapter, we get a bit of Kirakishou introspective, so, look forward to that. Also featured in the next chapter is Laplace Bond! (007 theme music begins to play) Review please! Flames will be given to Barasuishou to encase in crystal and sell on E-Bay!**


	6. Schöner Snowdrop Kristall

**After the End: A New Beginning**

**Lady Moon-Chan**

**AN: Hey y'all. If this chapter seems angstier than usual, it's because I was depressed. Somebody decided to "kindly critique"(coughflamecough) this story, mainly about the fact that document editor doesn't load the symbols I was using to space the various pieces of chapter one, which is not my fault. So I'm just gonna ask just in case: for anyone out there who's not reading this story just to be a total ass and flame me later, is the spacing thing in chapter 1 really that bothersome? Cause if so I'll take it down and fix it. Well, enough out of me. You're here to read.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Rozen Maiden. It should be obvious by now.**

**Warnings: Kirakishou's insanity and conceit, which I guess combined equals creep factor.**

**Chapter 6: ****Schöner Snowdrop Kristall **

_Oh, Father. At long last I can finally do what you wish. I understand why you never built me a body after your apprentice stole my original one. It's because I was the closest one of your beloved daughters to being Alice, and you wanted to keep me safe until one of my nee-sans came to you after "winning" and you could give those six Rosa Mysticas to me so I could become Alice! But is it not alright, now that there are so few of my sisters left, to use this body I've acquired to win the Alice Game through battling? I wish to do something to be worthy of your pride in me, dearest Father. And don't worry, I will not fail. You shall have your Alice. Me._

"My lady."

Kirakishou whirled around, entrapping Laplace in a climbing rose vine. "What do you want? I'm busy."

"Your four sisters have decided to unite with Barasuishou to defeat you."

Kirakishou snorted. "Hmph. As if they could. They're all just jealous that I'm the one Father wants to become Alice."

"But could you not say that Barasuishou's anger at you is justified-" Laplace's query was cut off as Kirakishou tightened the vine around him.

"Don't talk about her in front of me! She's nothing but a fake, a cheap knock-off made by a doll maker who couldn't hope to match Father's skill in a million years!"

"Yes...my...lady..." Laplace choked, and Kirakishou released him, walking over and patting his top hat since he was now kneeled on the floor.

"That's a good Laplace. Now tell me, where are the mediums?"

"Those that feed the roses have returned to the mortal plane."

"I see. And my sisters?"

"The roses still reside at Barayashiki."

"Excellent." Kirakishou smirked. "You may go, Laplace."

Laplace disappeared, and Kirakishou turned to the broken mirror in her N-Field with a small smile. She made Megu's hospital room appear in it and sent a rose vine through to grab at the sick girl's ankle and pull her towards the mirror.

"What...hey! Let go!" Megu kicked and struggled, causing more vines to join in the pulling, wrapping around her other ankle, her waist, her wrists, and her neck. "SUIGINTOU!" she called, hoping the doll was somewhere nearby. "Help me..." The ring that bound her to Suigintou began to glow a bright red.

(Barasuishou's N-Field)

Suigintou's hissed and lifted her hand from under the table, revealing that her rose ring was glowing red. "Megu..." she hissed. The ring abruptly stopped

glowing, only for Shinku and Suiseiseki's to start. "Jun!" the both cried.

(Jun's Dream)

"Come now, Jun. Stop struggling. It's not like Shinku and Suiseiseki will care that you're gone." Kirakishou crooned as her rose vines dragged Jun down into a lake. "They both probably think that you're a weak, burdensome medium, just like Suigintou-neesama's."

Jun froze for a moment, then shook his head. "No, you're lying!"

"_Hey! Why do I have to do it!?" Jun complained, not making a move to take the small hairbrush from Shinku's hand._

_Shinku smiled slightly. "The only man a lady lets touch her hair is one she has let into her heart."_

_Jun stared in wonderment for a moment before taking the hairbrush and beginning to gently brush out Shinku's loose hair._[1

_Jun stared down at the frowning, green-clad doll incredulously. "Are you serious?"_

"_Look, it's not like they're for _you_ or anything, I just figure you should have at least one since I went to the trouble of making them for dessert tonight, desu." Suiseiseki turned on her heel and walked away._

_Jun took a nibble of the cookie she'd all but thrown at him, and was pleasantly surprised to find that it tasted really, really good._[2

"They may not always act like it, but they do care in their own way!" He yelled at Kirakishou.

The insane doll giggled. "Ooh, I would have had a lot more fun with Megu-chan if she had that kind of faith in Suigintou-neesama." she used another rose vine to pull Megu out of the water, revealing that she looked totally broken. The once-alert brown eyes were now clouded and red rimmed, as though she'd been crying. "Suigin...tou..." she whispered sadly.

"Megu! Don't listen to Kirakishou! She's just lying to try and make you regret your contract with Suigintou! But has Suigintou ever shown any sign of wanting to break the contract? Well?"

Megu stirred, and Kirakishou quickly said, "But isn't she always insisting she doesn't need or want a medium?"

Jun replied. "If that's true, then why hasn't she terminated your guys' contract yet? Well!?"

"For once chibi human has a good point, desu!" A large, thick plant crashed into Kirakishou, making her release the two mediums she'd bound with rose vines. Jun fell to the ground in a sitting position, and Suigintou swooped and caught Megu before she fell into the water.

"Suigintou...do you really want me as a medium?" she whispered.

"If I didn't, would I really have kept you in contract for so long?" Suigintou returned, setting her medium down gently. "The answer is no. Like I said, at this point in the Alice Game, I may just need the power of the medium." she smiled.

Megu put a hand on the dark doll's head. "Thank you, Suigintou...tenshi-san..." their two rings glowed, and then morphed into the image of a rose with a ring of thorns around the base.

Meanwhile, Kirakishou had recovered from Suiseiseki's attack and charged. "How _dare_ you..." she made rose vines wrap around the gardener doll so tightly and so thickly that she looked like a mummy. "You'll pay for that!"

Suigintou's "dragons" attacked Kirakishou and freed Suiseiseki. "Suiseiseki! Get the mediums out of here!"

"I can't do that with just Sui Dream, desu! I need Lempicka too!"

Suigintou reached inside her chest and pulled out Souseiseki's artificial spirit. "There! Now do it!" About ten of Kirakishou's rose vines wove together and hit her in the stomach, sending Suigintou flying. She landed with a sick thud and didn't move.

"Suigintou!" Megu ran and kneeled by the winged doll. "Suigintou, wake up!" Nothing happened. "Damnit, Suigintou! I thought you wanted to win the Alice Game and make your Father proud! Well, that'll never happen if you give up and die here!"

Suigintou suddenly rose, floating. Her wings and dress turned white, her eyes glowed white, and blue flames shot in a spiral from both her hands, burning up all of Kirakishou's vines and surrounding her. Because of the wall of flames closing in on her, Kirakishou vanished without anyone noticing.

Suigintou dropped to the ground, wings and dress returning to their normal colors.

Suiseiseki opened a portal to Jun's room, and everyone climbed through, with Megu carrying Suigintou. Jun brought the storage room mirror, where Barasuishou had ended up, into his room.

"Did...Suigintou's attack get rid of her?" Megu finally asked.

"I doubt it." Barasuishou said grimly.

"Lady Rozenkristall." Laplace's voice emanated from the doorway.

**AN: Well, that didn't turn out as bad as I'd hoped. For those of you wondering, the reason Kirakishou didn't kidnap Mi-chan will be revealed next chapter, so be patient. Suigintou's new attack will also be explained somewhat. Oh, and [1 This was the ShinkuxJun scene from the last episode of season one. [2 This is just a random SuixJun moment I made up since I couldn't think of a cannon one. So, please tell me what you thought of this chapter, and to Blitz12, I hope that was enough Kirakishou to satisfy for right now! Ja, minna!**


	7. Feuer des Engels

**After the End: A New Beginning**

**Lady Moon-Chan**

**AN: Here's chapter seven. Not much to say accept possible yuri warnings from here on out(MeguxGin all the way!). So, yeah.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Rozen Maiden, MeguxGin would be so canon it's not even funny. Read, please.**

**Chapter 7: Feuer des Engels**

Suigintou awoke a few hours later. "Unngh...what...what happened...?"

"You suddenly got all uber powerful and went angel and shot spirals of blue fire out of your hands, then collapsed, desu!" Suiseiseki shouted.

"What do you mean, I 'went angel'?" Suigintou questioned.

"Your wings and your dress turned white, and your eyes sort of glowed white." Megu said.

Suigintou seemed shocked. "They did?"

"Yes." Shinku said. "Didn't you mean to do it?"

Suigintou shook her head. "I didn't even know I could."

"It happened after Megu said that you couldn't reach your goal if you just laid there and died in Jun's dream world last night, so maybe it's something to do with your feelings at the time?" Barasuishou, suggested from within the mirror.

"Could be..." Suigintou shrugged.

"Well, how were you feeling right before it happened?" Megu questioned.

"I...was desperate not to die...determined not to let Kirakishou get away without a scratch...and, I didn't want Kirakishou to hurt Megu anymore..." Suigintou confessed, blushing slightly.

"Desperate, determined, and protective...hmmm..." Barasuishou tilted her head to the side in thought. "Hey, Suigintou and Megu, come back through the mirror for a moment."

The two went through to where Barasuishou stood on the grass in front of Barayashiki. "Suigintou, try to focus those feelings at this target." she summoned a crystal about twenty yards from Suigintou. "Focus on Megu for the third one, if that helps."

Suigintou nodded, focusing, trying to feel the same sort of emotions she had before, when she'd used that super strong attack. Desperation..._no, no, please, I can't die here, not now! I still have to help Megu get better, and win the Alice Game so I can meet Father! _Determination..._I won't let this bratty seventh doll get away again...she will pay for hurting Megu, AND she will pay for trying to cripple my strongest opponent, Shinku..._Protectiveness..._No! I can't die! If I die, she'll hurt Megu! Can't let her do that...can't let her take my medium away from me..._and then she saw in her mind. Megu's warm eyes, the soft smile, the distantly cheerful look in her eyes as she sang, her sweet, clear voice...

Suigintou felt a sudden lightness fill her, and she began to rise. She looked down and saw her dress was white, and looked at her wings and saw the same. Now came the incredible pulsation of power, and she looked at the target, and it was as though she was seeing it in a totally different spectrum of light, through a white film. She raised her palms and let go, and the flames swirled down and around, surrounding the target, and then crystallizing as Barasuishou rushed forward and attempted to control the spread of the blaze.

She felt herself drift back to the ground and looked down. Back to being dark. She sighed and sat down.

"Suigintou, that was amazing!" Megu said, kneeling beside the doll.

"It was." Suigintou replied. "And I don't feel drained at all this time. When I started that attack, I got this incredible feeling of being feather light, and that feeling is still there." she closed her eyes and smiled slightly, placing a hand over her mystica.

"I think we should name it something." Megu said enthusiastically.

"Oh? Like what?" Suigintou asked in amusement.

"Angel's Fire." Megu said with a smile.

Once the three were back in Jun's room(Barasuishou as much as she could), Jun said. "So now that we've got that mystery figured out, onto the next one: how come Nut-case didn't kidnap Kanaria and her medium into my dreams?"

"It might be..." Shinku whispered.

"What might be?" Jun pressed.

"Kirakishou probably didn't see it as anything but a bother to try and do away with Kanaria's medium."

"What does that mean?" Jun asked.

"It means she thought they were too weak to bother with, of course." Megu said. At the odd looks she received from everyone except Suigintou, she blushed and continued, "Well, you do have to admit, the pair of them are rather...well, _bumbling_, and that's being nice about it."

"That's true." Suigintou said. "She probably figured us three Rozen Maiden and our mediums were the real threat, and considered it more pressing business to get rid of us over Kanaria."

"We'd better tell them that, then." said Jun. "I mean, if they've got the advantage of not having her focused on them, they should know so they can use it."

No one offered a word of resistance.

**AN: There we go. Sorry this was mostly filler, the next chapter will be better, I promise. But I would still love to hear your opinion of it, so please review. Goodnight, minna! I have to go watch Trinity Blood now!**


	8. Vorteil

After the End: A New Beginning

Lady Moon-Chan

**Sorry it's been so long since my last update, minna! I had a deadline for an original story in a LJ community, plus one of my good roleplaying buddies has been exploding with ideas for our Harry Potter roleplay, and she's impossible to sneak away from long enough to type up a chapter of a story, and- but you don't care about the trials and tribulations of a teen fanfiction writer. So go ahead and read.**

**Disclaimer: Despite the length of time that has passed between this update and the last, I still don't own Rozen Maiden. (calmly shoots self in the head)**

**Chapter 8: Vorteil**

_Ring ring ring. Ring ring ring. _"Hello?" Mitsu Kusabue asked, sounding breathless, even over the phone.

"Miss Kusabue?" Jun's voice filtered over the other line.

"Oh, Jun-kun. What can I do for you?"

"We just figured out something that gives you and Kanaria an edge on Kirakishou." he sounded excited, and also somewhat rushed.

"Really, Kana and I? What is it?"

The voice on the other end abruptly changed to that of Suigintou, with Jun heard swearing in the background. "She doesn't think you two are a threat, so she's not focusing her attention on you."

"Oh, I see. And that will allow us to, among other things, gather information on her without her realizing it."

"Exactly." confirmed Suigintou.

"So, what kind of information would you have us gather?"

"Anything you can get on her past and her motivations. It'd be best to simply ask Laplace. No matter how many riddles he talks, he's been around from the beginning. He'll know."

"Thank you." Mitsu murmured.

The only response was a solid click on the other end of the line, followed by the buzz of the dial tone.

Mitsu hung the phone up, then walked calmly into Kanaria's room. "Kana! Do you know how to find Laplace?"

"Sure, but why, kashira?"

"Kirakishou isn't focusing her attention on the two of us right now, which gives us the opening to collect information on her that will help to beat her in the long run."

"Ah, I see! But why isn't she focusing on us, kashira?"

"I'll tell you later. For now, find Laplace, Kana, okay?"

Kanaria nodded, disappearing into her N-Field and reappearing about fifteen minute later with Laplace. "Got him, kashira!"

Mi-chan pulled up a chair for Laplace, wishing she had some headache medicine. She turned on the small tape recorder in her pocket- a small precaution in case she could neither keep up with nor remember what Laplace said.

"Laplace. Since Kirakishou isn't focused on Kana and I right at the moment, we're trying to help the others by gathering every last scrap we can get on her past and her motivations. You've been around since the dolls were built. You're the only one who can tell us the things we need to know." she said in the best calm, professional voice she could manage.

Laplace sighed wearily. "There was once a river. A beautiful river, made by nature. However, an arrogant man dug a ditch and made a man-made river, right next to the natural one. After that, poison got into the natural river- no one knew quite how- which only made it all the more beautiful. But people still chose the man-made river over it, and more and more poison began to seep into the natural river until simply touching its waters could poison people. And no one could see it happening, except for one small boy. He told the people, and the man who had created the artificial river, about the poison, and the danger it presented. But the people looked at the natural river, and at the boy, and called him a liar."

Mitsu clicked off the tape. Once again, they were all gathered at the Sakurada house. "What does that tell you? Any volunteers?"

Suigintou bowed her head in thought. "Enju stole her original body to create Barasuishou, and Kirakishou grew more and more bitter the longer she was ignored in the N-Field. Laplace saw the impending danger, and tried to warn Enju about what he had set into motion, but Enju didn't listen-"

"And now it's too late..." Barasuishou murmured, her voice barely above a whisper.

"But why would Father simply leave her in the N-Field, desu? That's what I don't get!" said Suiseiseki.

"Maybe it was a test?" suggested Megu. "To see if she could still potentially become Alice, even after suffering such hardship?"

"That would be just like Father." Suigintou said softly.

Megu put one hand on her doll's head. "It could also explain why he left you incomplete in the beginning." she whispered to her.

Magenta eyes widened. "I...never thought of it that way..."

Megu smiled, and Mitsu cleared her throat. "Oh, sorry." Megu said to the older woman. "Please continue."

"Wait..." said Shinku. "Laplace said before that she considers herself to be better than the rest of us Rozen Maidens. Why would she think that if she were seemingly abandoned by Father?"

Barasuishou's eyes widened in memory. "When she...tricked me, pretending she was going to let me see my Father, she started to rant about how the rest of you had, and I quote, 'tried to claim my Father as yours because he doesn't want any of you.'"

"So she thinks she's the only one he wants, kashira?" Kanaria asked. "How could she think like that, kashira? He didn't leave any of _us_ floating the N-Field without a body..."

"Like Megu said, it could have been a test on Rozen's part." Jun began. "And because she was a frightened, lonely little girl at heart, she convinced herself he was only testing her so harshly because he loved her the most. And because she thinks he loves her the most of the seven Maidens..."

"She would see the previous six as inferior to her." Shinku said. "That's very good, Jun."

Suigintou's eyes filled with something akin to sympathy. "Even though it was incomplete, I at least was given a body and told I could still participate in the Alice Game, no matter how flawed my body was. She was left alone, with no body, and, given her mental state now, I would say Father never told her she could still be Alice without her body."

"Her body..." Shinku said, eyes widening in shock. "Do you remember the way she reacted when Suiseiseki's plant struck her?"

"She was enraged...like something vital and dear to her had just been attacked." Suigintou said. "But why-" she was cut off by a triumphant crow from Kanaria.

"That's it, kashira! That's her weakness! Despite her faith in Father, and her belief that he loves her the most, she's still afraid that losing her body will strip her of the right to become Alice."

"Now, if only we knew how to exploit that without getting killed..." Barasuishou said.

There was silence for a few minutes, then Shinku began to grin wickedly. "I just thought of a way."

"Well?" Suigintou said impatiently.

"Yeah, what are you waiting for, desu?" Suiseiseki demanded.

"She may consider the first six Rozen Maidens to be inferior to her with the exception of Suigintou, but she must consider Barasuishou to be worse than that, considering it was the theft of her original body that allowed Barasuishou to be created and pose as the seventh Rozen Maiden."

"What's your point?" Barasuishou asked warily, backing towards Barayashiki at the totally out of character look on Shinku's face.

"What would it do to her faith in Father and his love for her if he were to give Barasuishou a body he made himself, while she had to more or less steal the one she has from Enju?" Shinku asked, still grinning evilly.

Suigintou chuckled. "She would die of jealousy." Then her eyes widened. "And because she was so jealous, she would get more careless, possibly even sloppy in her attacks and planning..."

Jun sweatdropped. "Shinku, ever thought about championship chess?"

**AN: There's that. I tried to make it a longer than usual chapter since I haven't updated in ages. Tell me how it was, k? Feedback from the readers is always welcomed. Flames will be given to Shinku so she can warm up her tea. Ja!**


	9. WachsRose Körper

**After the End: A New Beginning**

**Lady Moon-Chan**

**Here's chapter nine, everyone, please enjoy.**

**Suiseiseki: Hey, what's with the poll at the end of the chapter desu!?**

**Kanaria: Yeah, kashira! Why are our names the only ones in it?**

**Em, don't take this the wrong way, but...you've kind of outlived your usefulness in this fic.**

**K and S: SAY WHAT!?**

**Remember that I don't own Rozen Maiden, okay? (runs from Kanaria and Suiseiseki)**

**Chapter 9: ****Wachs-Rose Körper**

That night in her dreams, each Rozen Maiden(except Kirakishou) actively sought out their Father.

"Father..." Suigintou sighed. "Your 'test' for Kirakishou, as well meant as it may have been, has twisted her heart and mind and clouded her judgment so that she believes herself to be the best of all your creations. In thinking that way, she killed off your apprentice, Enju, and used Barasuishou's love for her own Father to manipulate him into building her a new body. Barasuishou has agreed to help us stop Kirakishou from doing the same thing again, but she needs her own body to do so effectively..."

"Father, you see everything that happens to your daughters. Please, give us what we so desperately need: a body for Barasuishou, that we trust only you to make, so that we can defeat Kirakishou. Then, perhaps, you can rebuild her into a better version of herself and be proud of your youngest daughter..." Shinku murmured over her tea.

"Father who created us, please, desu. We have found an ally, desu, perhaps even a friend, in Barasuishou, desu, even though she is not a Rozen Maiden. Please use the skill with which you built us, desu, and build her a new body, so that she can see to it that her own Father's death doesn't go unavenged, desu..." Suiseiseki said, sounding like she was praying.

"Dear, benevolent Father, kashira. While it's true Enju did steal Kirakishou's original body to build Barasuishou, can you really blame her for what he did, kashira? Please, Father, kashira, you are the only known maestro left in the world, and only you can build the kind of body Barasuishou needs, kashira..." said Kanaria.

Rozen heard the unified prayers of his four semi-sane daughters and transported Barasuishou from her N-Field to his workshop. She awoke just as he was about to begin working.

"Father...no, _Rozen_..." her tone was a mixture of shock, awe, and fear. She bowed respectfully.

Rozen chuckled and stood her upright. "There is no need for that." He looked at her and then at the clay that would become her new body, beginning to sculpt the features after her own. As the clay hardened, he selected two golden eyes for her, and then turned his attention to her costume, replicating it exactly.

Barasuishou watched him work in awe-struck silence, wondering why her Father had wanted so badly to surpass him, when Rozen's skill came from the care and time he put into his work, and no special secret at all.

She dozed eventually as she watched, perhaps from hearing him begin to hum softly as he checked on the porcelain, the tune tauntingly familiar, but she woke to the familiar clack of three rose-quartz crystals knocking together. Barasuishou opened her eyes to see Rozen affixing the rose-and-crystal hairpieces into the long white wig of her new body in exactly the style it had been.

He smiled at her. "Come here, Barasuishou."

She crossed the workshop, feeling a strong tug towards her new body that grew the closer she got to it. When she got close enough to touch it, the world faded into blackness again, and she awoke at the foot of Jun's bed, not in the mirror, but actually on the bed.

She smiled slightly, climbing up to perch in the window sill of Jun's room, watching as the sun rose in the eastern skies. "Thank you...Rozen."

She either didn't notice or didn't care that there was a still a figure in the storage room mirror, one that looked at her in shock, before fleeing to her N-Field, hatred and rage in her eyes.

"Why, damnit!?" Kirakishou fumed, destroying the few things in her N-Field that had remained intact. "Why did Father see fit to give her a body when she's just a cheap knock-off of the real seventh doll!?"

A dark giggle that could only belong to Suigintou echoed through Kirakishou's N-Field. "Perhaps you're not as precious to him as you think, ne, imouto?" she asked. "I mean...for him to take the time to recreate the body of someone who had impersonated his most beloved daughter, while that same daughter had to get one from a lesser doll maker...I know our Father is a kind and forgiving man, but even for him, that seems a bit of a stretch.

"Shut up! At least he didn't leave _me_ in _pieces_!" Kirakishou shot some rose vines in the direction she thought Suigintou's voice had come from.

"True enough." Suigintou agreed, this time from behind Kirakishou. "But at least he gave _me_ the comfort of knowing I could still become Alice even though my body was flawed. You, however, received no such comfort. I bet you haven't even spoken to Father, even in dreams!"

"You're wrong!" Kirakishou shouted, throwing more rose vines. "I talk to Father all the time, I am the most precious, his most beloved Rozen Maiden!"

Suigintou chuckled darkly again. "If you say so. Just remember that you can't live that lie of yours forever."

She appeared briefly through the light of one of her blue flames, but vanished before Kirakishou could say another word.

She opened her eyes when she reached her N-Field, chuckling at the look on Shinku's face.

"Well?!" the fifth Rozen Maiden demanded.

"Seems you were right. She tried to take my head off, even though I only made a few insinuations about Father's love for her."

Shinku smiled in satisfaction. "I'd say that experiment was successful then."

"And how has Barasuishou responded to having a body again?"

Shinku chuckled, leading her darker sister towards a portal. "Come and see for yourself."

They exited the N-Field into the Sakurada storage room, and from there walked towards the kitchen.

"My, my, Barasuishou-chan. You sure were hungry..." Nori Sakurada could be heard saying.

"Can't help that. I was stuck without a body and didn't get to eat for about a week."

"We couldn't tell, desu." Suiseiseki said sarcastically.

Barasuishou giggled, and more eating sounds could be heard.

"Nori, prepare my tea." Shinku took a seat on the other side of Suiseiseki.

"Lactic acid bacteria for me." Suigintou said, taking a seat on Barasuishou's opposite side.

"Lactic acid bacteria?" Nori and Jun asked together.

Suigintou sighed and stood up, walking to the fridge, opened it and pointed at the milk carton.

Nori smiled. "Oh, of course."

Suigintou took a sip of the tall glass of milk Nori gave her and looked over at Barasuishou.

"So, ready for another face to face meeting with Kirakishou?"

"Just tell me where and when." Barasuishou's golden eyes glinted with determination.

Suigintou closed her eyes, a smirk adorning her lips. "Her N-Field, tonight at midnight. It'll start out one on one, you and her. If you decide you need the help, the rest of us will be lurking in the shadows."

Barasuishou nodded.

**AN: There's that. Well, the final confrontation with Kira has been set up, and vote for which Rozen Maiden doll should fall first: Kanaria or Suiseiseki. They're the only ones I'm willing to kill as of yet. The next chapter should be up sometime within the week, but for now, leave a review telling me what you thought of this one. Bye!**


	10. Fall der Violine

**After the End: A New Beginning**

**Lady Moon-Chan**

**  
AN: Okay, I decided which Maiden gets it. Kanaria.**

**Kana: But...but WHY, kashira?**

**I already said it; you've outlived your usefulness.**

**Shinku: But didn't you tell one of the reviewers that you wanted to see myself or Suigintou-**

**Here, Shinku! Rare Chinese orange tea!**

**Shinku: (walks away, calmly sipping tea)**

**Kanaria: Hey!**

**And now, without further ado, R&R, and remember that I wouldn't have to write this if I owned Rozen Maiden!**

**Chapter 10: Fall der Violine**

Kirakishou snarled as she felt another presence materialize in her N-Field, and sent out ten rose vines to capture the intruder. She watched for their progress, and was surprised to hear the sound of vines being chopped and see a purple glint in darkness of her N-Field. "Who's there?" she demanded.

"You disappoint me, Kirakishou. I thought you'd remember. You lured me in by pretending to be my friend and help me see Father again, then used him as your ticket out of the N-Field, and yet-"

"Barasuishou." Kirakishou growled.

Barasuishou chuckled. "Seems you remember me after all."

"How could I not? You impersonated me, which is why it's simply not possible that Father would have given you a body!" she shot more rose vines at Barasuishou, this time from all directions.

Barasuishou spun, making quick work of the vines with her crystal sword. "Why's that?"

"Because I am the most precious to him of all the Rozen Maidens, and you impersonated me! Forgiving as he is, even he would never forgive such a crime enough to restore your body, which was so rightfully destroyed!" she charged.

Barasuishou summoned a crystal barrier around herself and Kirakishou bounced off, hitting the wall of her N-Field. There was a cracking sound, and her hand hung limply off the rest of her arm.

Kirakishou looked down at the damage, stunned into silence for a moment. Then, she looked up at Barasuishou through her long white hair, solitary golden eye filled with malice. "How dare you..." she said softly. She summoned up more rose vines, these twining together and forming a 'hand' similar to a grab-claw[1.

It lunged at Barasuishou, who successfully dodged. It swooped to the right and she dodged to the left, not seeing it swing around behind her to the space she'd just maneuvered into until it was too late to dodge again. Barasuishou formed a crystal dome shield around herself. The clawed hand grabbed at the dome, applying pressure until the crystal shattered, leaving Barasuishou trapped.

"March of the Soldiers!" Kanaria cried, leaving her hiding spot and beginning to play her violin. Twelve miniature whirlwinds buffeted around Kirakishou's N-Field, picking up and absorbing vines, random broken toys, and furniture pieces. When the attack died down, Kirakishou set another grab-claw made of rose vines after Kanaria, who began another song.

Suiseiseki also emerged from her hiding spot, summoning plants to beat back the rose vine 'hands' from Barasuishou and Kanaria. "Take that, and that, desu!" she shouted.

Suigintou and Shinku were the last to join in, sending waves of black feathers and rose petals at the seventh doll.

Kirakishou summoned a dome-shaped shield around herself made out of rose vines to take all the attacks for her. When they stopped, she emerged, laughing maniacally. "How...convenient! Now I can just pick you all off one at a time, sisters!" she sent thorn covered vines flying at them, binding them, chasing them down until they had done so successfully.

Suigintou lowered her head, manipulating her flames so that they would burn through the vines binding her, and once she was free, she turned her wings into dragons and had them attack the source of the binding vines at Kirakishou's hands. Kirakishou appeared shocked, even hurt. "Nee-sama...even you?" she moved toward Suigintou more quickly than the dark doll could dodge away, kissing her softly.

"It's really a shame..." Kirakishou said as she pulled away from a shocked

Suigintou. "I didn't want to have to kill _you_, Nee-sama..." she kissed her again, briefly. "But it seems I no longer have a choice!" A rose vine wrapped around her hand, the thorns growing in size until they resembled steak knives, and she made to stab Suigintou's chest.

"Malice Waltz!" Kanaria broke in, and the sound waves blasted Kirakishou against the wall, causing even more damage to her hand than Barasuishou had done already.

Kirakishou stared down at the hand briefly, then looked up at Kanaria, hatred plainly visible in her eyes. "Now you _die_, you pathetic excuse for a Rozen Maiden."

Kanaria's eyes widened in shock, then narrowed in anger at the words. "I am NOT pathetic, kashira!" she sent a steady wall of sound waves at Kirakishou, who rooted a rose vine to the floor and clung on until the attack was over.

Kirakishou no longer seemed focused on any of the Maidens but Kanaria, binding the others tighter so that they couldn't interfere with her chase of the second Rozen Maiden.

Shinku maneuvered her hands so that she could blast through the vines with her rose petals, moving to go to Kanaria's aid.

Kanaria looked over Kirakishou's shoulder at Shinku and shook her head. "Don't, Shinku. I want to prove myself...to prove that I can fight, without you all having to help me out, kashira..." she played Pizzicato once more, and once more Kirakishou planted a vine and held it, keeping herself in place.

Shinku froze in place, shocked at Kanaria's request. "Kanaria..."

Kanaria smiled sadly, lifting the bow to Pizzicato's strings again. "Duel Waltz." two different sets of sound waves whipped through Kirakishou's N-Field, tearing things apart and forcing the rest of the Rozen Maidens to clutch onto whatever they could to stay in place against the vicious waves.

When things finally calmed down, it was easy to see that Kirakishou was substantially weaker from the powerful attack. Unfortunately, so was Kanaria.

The second Rozen Maiden's small, battered form sat slumped against the wall, head down, Pizzicato clutched only loosely in her hand. She looked up at the other three sane Maidens, plus Barasuishou, and smiled sadly once again. "I think...this is as far as I go, kashira..."

"Kanaria, no..." Shinku whispered, horrified at the prospect of losing yet another sister.

"Shinku...this was unavoidable...kashira...Kirakishou...didn't focus on Mi-chan and I...because she thinks we're the weakest link...and...compared to the rest of you...kashira...that's true..." the sad, resigned smile faded into a look of pain and surprise as a hand covered in rose thorns burst through her chest from behind. For, as Kanaria had stood and walked slowly to her allies, Kirakishou had snuck up behind her to steal her Rosa Mystica...and even Suigintou had failed to notice.

Kanaria's eyes fell shut as she slumped forward, revealing a smirking Kirakishou behind her, holding Kanaria's Rosa Mystica in her good hand. But as the insane doll went to absorb the mystica into her chest, a blast of rose petals knocked her off guard, and Shinku rushed forward, seizing the mystica. She absorbed it with her back to the others.

Then, Shinku stood slowly, Pizzicato appearing in her hands in violin form. With her back still to the group, she spoke softly. "Kirakishou...Kanaria's sacrifice will not be in vain."

She turned, revealing a grim face and deadly serious blue eyes. She prepared to play Pizzicato, and the tears began to fall from her sky blue eyes, though the serious, calm face never wavered. "You'll pay for this."

**AN: Ooh, Shinku's mad. What will she do? And will Suigintou, Suiseiseki, and Barasuishou be able to stop her if she goes over the edge with her revenge on Kirakishou? Find out in Chapter 11: Avenging Engel! Tell me what you thought(other than "it's shorter than the last two", that I know).  
**


	11. Avenging Engel

**After the End: A New Beginning**

**Lady Moon-Chan**

**I apologize for not updating this in so long. Part of it was writer's block, part was a full schedule and part of it was lack of my laptop(the only computer I have with OpenOffice on it). So, sorry. I also have a couple of announcements to make: First, that this is the second-to-last chapter of After the End, and second: Well, this one's just a shout-out to Blitz12 and Ancient Death, who reviewed every chapter so far. You guys rock! (rains you both with plushies of the Eyepatch Goddesses)**

**That said, read on. (disappears through a portal, a la Laplace)  
**

**Chapter 11: Avenging Engel**

Shinku looked up, solemn and determined, even though tears were still pouring from her eyes. "Duel Waltz."

The effect was the same as before, severely weakening Kirakishou, and giving Barasuishou a chance to run in and finish the seventh Rozen Maiden off. Shinku didn't seem to see Barasuishou run in front of her, and lifted the bow to Pizzicato's strings again. "March of the Soldiers."

Barasuishou managed to dive out of the way of the attack, and glared at Shinku from her new position on the floor. "Shinku, what are you doing?"

Shinku didn't answer, still focused on Kirakishou, who was now missing her broken hand entirely and was mad enough to kill. As she stalked towards Shinku, the fifth Maiden began another song. "Malice Waltz."

Kirakishou was thrown back into the wall, and got up once the sound waves no longer had her pinned, snarling in anger. "Why you-"

"Duel Waltz!" Shinku cried, closing her eyes as the tears started to come faster. "Malice Waltz!" she started it just as the last song died down. "March of the Soldiers!" Due to her unbalanced emotional state, the attack was out of control, aiming for everything and everyone but Shinku herself.

"Shinku, stop it, desu!" Suiseiseki cried as she was slammed into a wall. Shinku didn't hear over the din, and the attack continued to rage. Barasuishou screamed in surprise and fear as she too was sent flying by the attack. Kirakishou made no sound at all, only glaring hatefully at Shinku as she was buffeted around by the force of the sound waves.

Suigintou flew against the strong waves, fighting to reach Shinku, and when she did, she landed in front of the red-clad doll, using her sword and the heels of her boots to anchor herself to the ground. "Shinku!" she shouted over the din. "Snap out of it, damnit!" she slapped her 'younger sister's cheek, stopping the attack and making her crumple to the ground.

Shinku looked up at the 'eldest sister' with tearful eyes. "I...I just..."

Suigintou sighed. "Stand up, Shinku. And _you_, don't move!" she turned her wings into dragons and attacked Kirakishou who had been coming in for the kill. The other doll cried out in pain and slumped against the wall. Suigintou turned her attention back to Shinku. "I said, stand up. Crying and going crazy attacking won't solve anything, or bring Kanaria back." she hauled Shinku to her feet, whispering into the other doll's ear now that she was in range. "It wasn't your fault anyway, so don't blame yourself."

Shinku's eyes widened. "Suigintou..."

A harsh scream echoed through the N-Field, and climbing roses with foot-long, dagger-sharp thorns came at the two. Suigintou pushed Shinku out of the way before flying upwards out of range. They looked in the direction the attack had originated from, and there stood Kirakishou, her single eye filled with anger and hatred and hurt.

"Why..." she whispered. "Why...does onee-sama hold _Shinku_..." she whispered, referring to the past minute, where Suigintou had had to pull Shinku close to relay her whispered message. "Shinku is the one who called you 'junk'...and yet you cradle her...and I, who have only love for you, gets shunned and rejected by you..." she glared at Suigintou, a single tear falling from her eye. "WHAT DID I DO TO DESERVE THAT!?"

She sent the vine with the dagger-like thorns at Suigintou, only to have it cut in half at a vulnerable spot by Lempicka, held by Suiseiseki. Suiseiseki looked at Suigintou with determined eyes and gestured at Kirakishou, as if saying, 'she's all yours'. Suigintou nodded and stalked forward.

"What did you do? You've made multiple attacks on my medium's life, as well as my Mystica, for one." she shot a barrage of feather-darts at Kirakishou, who wove some vines into a shield and caught them. Suigintou's next attack came in the form of her wing-dragons, and forced Kirakishou back almost across the room.

"What do you see in that worthless, good-for-nothing of a medium anyway!?" Kirakishou shot at Suigintou, her hand balling into a fist.

Suigintou's eyes narrowed, and she tapped every bit of power she had to begin the attack Megu had called 'Angel's Fire'. "My medium...is NOT worthless, OR a good-for-nothing. That would be you." her wings and dress turned white, and she rose into the air, firing a blue flame that consumed Kirakishou's broken arm the rest of the way. "You piece of junk."

She exited the N-Field, into the Sakurada house, where Jun, Megu, and Mitsu were waiting up for the dolls.

"How'd it go?" asked Megu.

The remaining dolls shuffled through, and Mitsu looked confused. "Where's Kana?"

Suigintou, Shinku, Suiseiseki, and Barasuishou exchanged looks. Finally, Barasuishou went and laid her hands on Mitsu's knee. "Mitsu...Kanaria is...Kanaria is gone."

**AN: Sorry it wasn't much longer than the last one, but, quality over quantity, right? And: What will Mitsu do? Find out in chapter twelve, and give me some feedback on how it was, k? Ja ne!**


	12. Energien der Liebe

**After the End: A New Beginning**

**Lady Moon-Chan**

**Well, here it is, the last chapter of After the End. I hope it wraps everything up sufficiently, and I apologize in advance for going with the 'other way' to become Alice as an ending. I just couldn't decide on Shinku or Gin as winners for the Alice Game. (hangs head)**

**Jun: Yet you had no qualms about killing off Suiseiseki?**

**You're complaining?**

**Jun: No, I'm not crazy! It's just...are Shinku and Suigintou the only ones you like?**

**I like Kira and Bara too...**

**Kirakishou: So then why did you kill me off?**

**Plot. The villain always dies, though they sometimes take the hero down with them(coughTrinityBloodcough)**

**Disclaimer: Do I own you guys?**

**RM cast: No.**

**I thought not. (commits sepukku)  
**

**Chapter 12: Energien der Liebe**

"Gone...what do you mean gone?" Mitsu asked, looking shocked, and also as though she didn't want to believe what she'd just heard.

"Kirakishou removed her Rosa Mystica, desu..." Suiseiseki laid down Kanaria's empty body on Mitsu's lap.

"So, she's really gone?" Mitsu asked, stroking the side of Kanaria's face.

"But closer than you might think." Shinku murmured, nodding. At the former medium's confused look, she said, "_Kirakishou_ is the one who initially took Kanaria's Rosa Mystica, but _I_ took it from Kirakishou." she stared at her shoes as though she'd never seen anything more interesting.

Mitsu's face lit up like a Christmas tree. "So then, we could just put it back, right?"

Shinku shook her head. "I can't."

"Why not? Does the Alice Game mean more to you than your sisters after all!?"

Shinku flinched as though she'd been dealt a physical blow and stumbled backwards into Jun. "That's not it...not at all. I just..."

"She's not refusing you to be selfish." Barasuishou explained. "It's just beyond her ability to reunite Kanaria's body and Rosa Mystica."

"That's right." said Suigintou. "From the moment one of our Rosa Mysticas is taken, the only one who can return it is Father. But even he would refuse to do so now."

"Why?!" Mitsu demanded. "Doesn't he care about his daughters at all?!"

"Of course he does." Barasuishou soothed, patting her knee. "It's just that he's bound by the rules of the game he set up for his daughters. Because Kanaria lost to a legitimate Rozen Maiden no matter how you look at it, even Rozen can't return her Rosa Mystica to her now."

Mitsu began to sob outright then.

After a few moments of silence, Suigintou spoke up. "If it makes you feel any better, she had her own way until the end. She fought her own battle, figured out when she'd reached her limit, and she asked then that Shinku be the one to take her Rosa Mystica in the end. So, she got what she wanted, at least."

Mitsu nodded, wiping her tears away.

Nori laid a hand on the older woman's arm. "It's late. You should go home and get some sleep."

Mitsu nodded again, taking Kanaria's empty shell and leaving.

Jun looked grim. "So now what?"

"Thanks to Kanaria's sacrifice, we made some good progress against Kirakishou." Shinku said. "We'll go back to her N-Field after we've rested for a bit, and then we'll finish her off for good."

Megu and Suigintou entered the mirror, using it to return to Megu's room via Suigintou's N-Field, and Jun, Shinku, and Suiseiseki went upstairs to get some sleep.

The next day, the dolls grouped together in Suigintou's N-Field, deciding to go to Kirakishou's N-Field from there. But when they got to her N-Field, the seventh Rozen Maiden was nowhere in sight.

"I don't get it, desu. Where is she?" Suiseiseki asked, looking around. The rings on all three dolls' fingers began to glow brightly, signaling that their mediums were in danger.

Suigintou snarled and led the other two through a portal in her N-Field that would take them to Megu's hospital room, where Jun had agreed to go and keep Megu company until the dolls returned.

They found the two mediums being bound by rose vines, Jun tied to the bed, and Megu being drug out the window by her neck, stomach and both legs. "Suigintou...help..." she whispered, trying not to choke as the vine at her throat tightened.

Suigintou's eyes narrowed at Kirakishou, and she chopped away all the vines holding Megu with her sword, catching her before she fell either way and helping her back into the room. Suiseiseki and Shinku did the same to Jun.

Suigintou then turned to Kirakishou, eyes gleaming, the angry sneer that had used to be her usual expression back in place. "You've made me very, very mad..." A ball of blue flame erupted in one of her hands, and she threw it at Kirakishou, allowing it to burn her other arm off before nodding to Suiseiseki to extinguish it.

The gardener did so, pouring the water from Sui Dream over Kirakishou's burning arm.

Once this was done, the seventh doll snarled, wrapping Suiseiseki in rose vines so tightly that she looked like a mummy. The third Rozen Maiden began to choke and gag. "Suigintou...if I don't make it out of here, desu...I want you to take my Rosa Mystica..."

"Why me?" Suigintou asked.

"Because I want to be with Souseiseki again, desu." She screamed as the vines relinquished her, but tore off one arm.

"Suiseiseki..." Jun moved to stand, but Barasuishou encased him in a glass dome.

"Don't be stupid, Jun! You know Kirakishou won't hesitate to kill you too if she can!"

"But-"

"No buts, chibi human! We're not in your dream world, there's nothing you can do this time!" Suiseiseki said, dodging another attack from Kirakishou as best as she could.

Kirakishou was then distracted by strawberry vines curling around her ankles and pulling her feet out from under her.

She looked over her shoulder in the direction the attack had come from. There stood Shinku, with strawberry vines trailing from her open hands to Kirakishou. "Of course...you're able to tap into Hina-Ichigo's power since you hold her Rosa Mystica, right?" the seventh Rozen Maiden struggled to her feet.

Shinku smiled grimly. "Something like that." She tugged the vines, dragging Kirakishou's feet out from under her again, and also dragging the seventh doll towards herself. What she didn't count on was Kirakishou lassoing Suiseiseki's feet with a rose vine and dragging her along for the ride.

Suiseiseki summoned up Lempicka, trying to use it one-handed and cut through Kirakishou's vines, to limited success. While she managed to cut through the vine, it took longer than anticipated, so that she was right in front of Kirakishou when she finally freed herself.

Kirakishou smiled madly, summoning a vine similar to the one she'd used to capture them in her N-Field the night before. Lempicka dropped from her hand, and she tried desperately to squirm free. "Let go of me, desu..."

"Now why would I want to do a thing like that, Suiseiseki-nee?" Kirakishou asked, summoning another rose vine, this one with dagger-sized thorns, and aiming it at Suiseiseki's chest.

Shinku summoned Pizzicato and began to play. "Duel Waltz!"

But the damage was done. Kirakishou hung onto the trapped Suiseiseki until the attack was over using the vine she'd summoned, and while Shinku recovered from the toll the powerful attack had also taken on her, she stabbed Suiseiseki in the chest. Before she could absorb it, however, Suigintou dive-bombed her with feather darts, taking Suiseiseki's Rosa Mystica and Lempicka while she was in range.

"As you wished...sister." Suigintou murmured.

Kirakishou released Suiseiseki's empty shell, and the ring on her finger began to glow. Jun's ring glowed as well, reverting back to the form it had taken when Shinku was the only doll he gave energy to.

Suigintou, Shinku, and Barasuishou exchanged a look. "This your fight." Barasuishou said. "The Alice Game..."

"But you do want revenge on your Father's behalf, don't you?" Suigintou asked.

Barasuishou smiled bitterly. "Just save me a few blows. My loss is paltry compared to yours."

"Are you sure?" Shinku asked.

Barasuishou nodded.

Shinku returned the sentiment, then, to Suigintou, "Ready?"

"But of course." the first Rozen Maiden began the attack Megu had dubbed "Angel's Fire", while Shinku used strawberry vines to hold Kirakishou in place.

But as the attack began, Kirakishou sent a thorn from one of her seemingly dead vines flying. It hit Suigintou square in the stomach, but the attack didn't stop. If anything, the flames grew more intense and fame faster, surrounding and beginning to consume Kirakishou in a matter of moments.

Suigintou began to emit a dazzling white glow, and Barasuishou conjured a bubble shaped crystal shield over the mediums, herself, and Shinku to polarize some of the light.

"What's happening to her?" Megu asked fearfully.

"I don't know...her attack just suddenly got more powerful when Kirakishou tried to attack..." Shinku murmured.

"Whatever it is, let's just pray she snaps out of it soon." said Barasuishou, thickening the shields slightly.

The two mediums nodded, though Jun seemed more awed than anything. Megu bit her lip, and the ring that bound her to Suigintou began to glow brightly.

Meanwhile, inside Suigintou's head, she was having a little talk with Rozen that prevented her from focusing on the battle, so Rozen had remotely strengthened the attack to prevent Kirakishou from getting another opening.

"_Suigintou...I told Shinku that there was another way to become Alice, other than the Alice Game. And now, I'm going to tell you what that other way is."_

_Suigintou blushed. "I'm honored, but...why me? Why not just tell Shinku?"_

_Rozen ruffled his eldest daughter's hair. "I'm very proud that you managed to overcome your negative feelings towards your sisters in the interests of protecting your medium from harm. So, consider this a reward, hmm?" he smiled._

"_Yes, Father." Suigintou said, smiling slightly herself, so that she looked as she had when she first awakened._

"_Good, now listen closely." Rozen kneeled down, whispering something in his eldest daughter's ear._

"_I understand, Father. Thank you." Suigintou bowed._

"_You don't need to bow." he chuckled, straightening her up. "I hope you and Shinku both achieve Alice."_

"_Thank you, father."_

Suigintou's eyes snapped open and she stopped glowing, prompting Barasuishou to lower the shields she'd erected. Her flames completely consumed Kirakishou, leaving behind only a Rosa Mystica. She landed and picked it up, cradling it for a moment.

"Father, she really was just a lonely little girl at heart, and she only wanted love and attention from you. Perhaps you can rebuild Kirakishou, and teach her about the other way to become Alice. Then you can be proud of your youngest daughter." she threw the Rosa Mystica into the air, and it dove through Megu's mirror, into the N-Field.

"Suigintou..." Shinku seemed shocked.

"Yes?"

"Your wings and dress...they're still white..."

Suigintou looked down at herself and smiled slightly. "So they are. I don't know why, but...I don't mind. It's a nice change, and it could be a worse color. Like red." she teased.

Shinku pouted.

"But on a more Serious note, Shinku," Suigintou grabbed Shinku by the arm and pulled her close. "Father told me...the 'other way' to become Alice..."

"What is it?"

"The bond with our mediums. The more it transcends doll-and-medium, the closer we get to Alice. And...he wished us both luck in achieving Alice."

Shinku smiled and embraced her sister doll, and Suigintou returned the sentiment after a few moments of tension.

"So...when are you going to tell Jun?" Suigintou teased.

"When are you going to tell Megu?" Shinku replied in kind.

"What are you two talking about?" Jun asked.

They smiled enigmatically. "Nothing."

Megu rushed forward and embraced Suigintou. "I was so worried, Suigintou...I-"

Suigintou cut her off with a finger to her lips. "Don't worry. The Alice Game is over. For good." she looped her arms around Megu's neck, and her medium pulled her close.

Shinku looked up at Jun and smiled. "Let's go home, Jun."

He nodded, putting Suiseiseki into her case and picking Shinku up. Barasuishou picked up Shinku's case to carry, and they were about to leave, when Laplace came through the mirror and changed into Shirosaki.

"I thought you might like to know where Enju is buried so you can pay your last respects, Barasuishou."

Barasuishou nodded. "That would be...nice."

A few hours later, they were all assembled in front of Enju's grave. Barasuishou left some flowers, as well as a small cup of sake, and bowed her head. "I'll miss you, Father, but...I know you're in a better place now, and that you're always watching me, so...I feel at peace enough to say goodbye."

Mitsu, who had been invited by Laplace since she was such a good customer, placed a hand on Barasuishou's shoulder. "You know, Barasuishou-chan, if you don't have anyplace else to stay, you could stay with me."

Barasuishou smiled slightly. "Thank you."

Suigintou leaned against Megu's legs slightly. "I guess that takes care of everything, huh?"

Shinku nodded. "So, good luck becoming Alice, Suigintou."

Suigintou grinned cockily. "Good luck to you too...sister."

Shinku smiled and nodded.

Laplace opened a portal to take Megu and Suigintou back to the hospital, and just before it closed, doll and medium could be seen waving to Jun, Shinku, Mitsu, and Barasuishou.

**AN: 2200 and some odd words for this last chapter. I hope you appreciate it. Remember to leave a review on your way out.**

**Kirakishou: And all flamers neglect to do so, but please hit your heads on the way out. (innocent look)**

**RM cast and me: JA NE, MINNA-SAN!**


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